27 March 2017 World supplement

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6 Monday, March 27, 2017 DT Facts Speeches that shaped history • Tribune Desk From Abraham Lincoln’s speech on the struggle for the Unites States to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s powerful “The struggle this time is for our freedom; the struggle this time is for independence,” here are the top five speeches that changed the course of the history: 1. Abraham Lincoln Washington, DC, March 4, 1865 The Union’s victory was but a month away as Abraham Lincoln began his second term as president of a bitterly ruptured US. Like the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln kept this speech only as long as needful. While there are those who still debate whether the Civil War was truly fought over slavery 4 or not, Lincoln certainly believed so. And with the war not quite over, he offered this pronouncement: ‘’Fondly do we hope—fervently do we pray—that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue, until all the wealth piled by the bondmen’s two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn by the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said “the judgements of the Lord, are true and righteous altogether.” He did not relish the prospect of coming victory; instead, he appealed to his countrymen to remember that the war was truly fought between brothers. When the war was over and the Confederacy forced to return to the Union, Lincoln was prepared to treat the South with relative leniency. He did not believe secession was truly possible, and thus the South had never truly left the Union. Reconstruction would not mean vengeance, but the return home of a terribly errant son. 2. Mahatma Gandhi Banaras Hindu University, India, February 4, 1916 Having spent many years outside India, Gandhi on return to his homeland reacquainted himself with the land of his fathers, and swapped his Western-style dress for the simple robes of a peasant. Until that time, the independence campaign had been largely waged by a clique of upper-class intellectuals who aped the British in manners, but Gandhi saw this was a road to nowhere. Invited to speak at the opening of the Banaras Hindu University in front of an audience of princes in elegant robes, and other worthies, some of them British, he declared: “There is no salvation for India unless you strip yourselves of this jewellery and hold it in trust for your countrymen.” His words outraged everybody – need to remember that this took place during World War I, when India’s princes had rallied to the imperial cause – but it was a keynote speech in the struggle for Indian independence, and helped transform the nature of the debate, and turn Gandhi into the movement’s spiritual leader. Tragically, Gandhi would pay for his dedication to the cause with his life, but despite the conflict that followed the declaration of Indian independence, his dream of an India free from colonial rule was achieved. 3. Winston Churchill House of Commons, June 4, 1940 It was an absolute classic of a speech that Churchill made following the Dunkirk evacuation just weeks after becoming prime minister of the United Kingdom. To quote the most famous lines: “We shall fight on the seas and oceans ... we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender ...” It was, in effect, an exultation to the nation to pick itself up and start the struggle all over again, despite the setback at Dunkirk – and the I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed’: Martin Luther King told a crowd in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC in 1963 collected impending defeat of France. 4. Martin Luther King Lincoln Memorial, Washington DC, August 28, 1963 One of the most powerful speeches of modern times was that made by the black civil-rights leader Martin Luther King in front of the Lincoln Memorial during the 1963 “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.” Using soaring Christian rhetoric, he told a huge audience: ‘’I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed … We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal … I have a dream today!” Tragically, the King was assassinated just a few years later, but the great thing about this speech is that his dream was eventually realised – even though at the time he spoke it was just a dream. 5. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Ramna Race Course Maidan, Dhaka, March 7, 1971 Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s historic March 7, 1971 speech that effectively declared Bangladesh’s independence has been selected as one of the most rousing and inspirational wartime speeches in the last 2,500 years. The speech delivered at the Race Course Maidan (now Suhrawardy Udyan) encouraged the Bangalis to start the bloody struggle for freedom that lasted for nine months. He spoke at a time of increasing tensions between East Pakistan and the powerful political and military establishment of West Pakistan. The Bangali people were inspired to prepare for a potential war of independence, amid widespread reports of armed mobilisation by West Pakistan. During the 13-minute speech, Awami League president Mujib made the most famous declaration: “Since we have shed blood, we shall shed more blood but we will free the people of this land, Insha-Allah [If God is willing]. The struggle this time is for our freedom; the struggle this time is for independence. Joy Bangla [Victory to Bangladesh].” He also announced the civil disobedience movement in the province, calling for “every house to turn into a fortress.” The war eventually began 18 days later, March 25, when the Pakistan Army launched “Operation Searchlight” against Bangali civilians, intelligentsia, students, politicians and armed personnel, shortly after Mujib declared independence of Bangladesh through a message. • 1 The second inaugural address of Abraham Lincoln, given on 4 March 1865 on the east portico of the US Capitol collected 2 Mahatma Gandhi gave a speech in front of an audience of princes in elegant robes, and other worthies, some British, which outraged everybody and turned him into a spiritual leader for the Indian independence campaign collected 3 We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds’: Winston Churchill made this classic speech following the Dunkirk evacuation just weeks before becoming prime minister in 1940 AP 5 Bangabandhu made the most famous declaration on March 7, 1971: ‘Since we have shed blood, we shall shed more blood but we will free the people of this land, Insha-Allah’ government archive
Analysis 7 Monday, March 27, 2017 DT Protesters attend a mass candlelight vigil around a portrait of Jahanara Imam, a late political activist pioneer widely known to bring the accused of committing war crimes in the Bangladesh Liberation War to trial, at Shahbagh intersection in Dhaka February 14, 2013. Thousands of protesters participating in the Shahbagh demonstration demanded capital punishment for Jamaat-e-Islami leaders awaiting a court verdict for war crimes committed during the 1971 Independence War REUTERS By marking Genocide Day, Bangladesh seeks to remember what Pakistan wants to forget • Anam Zakaria Earlier this month, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor boldly declared that Britain was suffering from “historical amnesia”. By censoring its colonial past, it was ensuring that younger generations grew up without an inkling of the atrocities committed by their ancestors. Britain’s attempt to shove its colonial past under the carpet is not unique. Belgium has gone through a similar process, reconstructing itself as a neutral country, and thereby becoming the prime candidate for hosting the European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation headquarters, institutions believed to promote peace and stability. The country works hard to avoid exploring its dark colonial past in Congo and it is not alone. But it is not only colonisers that have ugly histories. Many nations around the world have violent pasts that they long to forget. Some choose to access those histories in order to heal and move on, while others diligently work to not only reconstruct their present self-image but also manipulate their histories in the process. Newer, purer versions are offered, carefully tailored and packaged to fit the state narratives. Pakistan’s engagement – or lack thereof – with its past perfectly encapsulates this process. Genocide Day This March 26, Bangladesh celebrated its 46th Independence Day. The date commemorates the fateful proclamation of separation from West Pakistan in March 1971. The night before, the Pakistan Army had launched Operation Searchlight in East Pakistan. As the name suggests, Operation Searchlight aimed to hunt down any Bengali who wanted a separate homeland, after decades of struggling for basic human rights under oppressive governments, dominated by West Pakistan. Under Operation Searchlight, terror spread like wildfire in East Pakistan. Innocent and unarmed Bengalis were targeted and eliminated one by one. The army used the support of Islamist parties and their paramilitary wings, the likes of Al Badr and Al Shams, to launch an accompanying jihad with the goal of purifying the Bengalis of Hindu influences and making them true Muslims and, hence, true Pakistanis. Mass killings and rape marked every street and corner. It is estimated that 3 million Bengalis and non-Bengalis were killed from March 1971 onwards. Operation Searchlight ignited an all-out war that served a huge blow to the West Pakistani establishment. By the end of the year, Pakistan stood utterly defeated both politically and militarily. On December 16, 1971, East Pakistan became Bangladesh. Those who had fought for their independence stood victorious but also deeply wounded by the months of killings, rape and bloodshed. On March 11, the Bangladeshi Parliament unanimously passed a motion declaring March 25, the night Operation Searchlight was launched, as Bangladesh’s Genocide Day, to commemorate the brutalities committed by West Pakistan. Selective memory Today, just as Britain resists acknowledging its exploitative and violent colonial past, Pakistan too remains mum on the issue. Perhaps the best way to ensure that the silence is maintained is by strategically eliminating any alternative discourse. This butchered history taints the pages of state textbooks. The Class 9 and Class 10 Pakistan Studies textbook of the Federal Textbook Board of Islamabad portrays all bloodshed and instability as propagated by Indian-backed Bengalis, who have been painted as unruly, uncontrollable and violent. An excerpt reads: “Raging mobs took to streets… banks were looted and the administration came to a halt. Public servants and non-Bengali citizens were maltreated and murdered. Pakistan flag and Quaid’s portraits were set on fire… reign of terror, loot and arson was let loose. Awami League workers started killing those who did not agree with their Six Points Programme. Members of Urdu-speaking non-Bengali communities were ruthlessly slaughtered. West Pakistani businessmen operating in East wing were forced to surrender their belongings or killed in cold blood, their houses set on fire. Pro-Pakistan political leaders were maltreated, humiliated and many of them even murdered. Armed forces were insulted; authority of the state was openly defied and violated. Awami League virtually had established a parallel government and declared independence of East Pakistan.” Meanwhile, Pakistani leaders of that time, such as General Yahya Khan, are shown as making desperate attempts to negotiate with these “out-of-control” Bengalis. At one place, the book states, “Yahya flew to Dhaka, in a hurry; he wanted to make a last effort”, but he was received by “obviously unacceptable” demands put forward by Mujibur Rehman. The leader of the Awami League is dismissed as impractical and his requests as unrealistic. Further, far from acknowledging the atrocities committed by the Pakistan Army and paramilitary groups, the textbook states that on the night of March 25 and March 26, “the Awami League militants committed a large scale massacre of West Pakistani families living in East Pakistan”. Later, the textbook complains, “Indians and Bengalis charged Pakistan Army with wholesale massacre and desecration of women. On December 19, 1971, world media teams were shown the dead bodies of Bengali professors, intellectuals and professionals who were allegedly killed during the said unrest. Large-scale killings were publicised in the media to defame Pakistan Army.” Ideology, not history No mention is made of the rape and murder of thousands of East Pakistani families. No mention is made of the brutality of West Pakistanis. Just as Hindus are portrayed as the sole instigators of violence in 1947, East Pakistanis are depicted as the perpetrators in 1971. As state policy, Pakistan has always done an exceptional job at eradicating, distorting and denying its history. History as a discipline is replaced by Pakistan Studies in schools so that it is ideology – and that too of the Islamic Republic – and not history that is taught. The Partition of 1971 is just another victim in this process. As Bangladesh celebrates its Independence Day and, from this year onwards, also commemorates Genocide Day, a deafening silence will engulf the country. The “historical amnesia” of its coloniser will be embraced tightly as one of the most powerful legacies left behind by the British. • Anam Zakaria is the author of Footprints of Partition: Narratives of Four Generations of Pakistanis and Indians.
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27 March 2017 World supplement

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